Three things first of all:
- Which format are the songs in? Once you added the lyrics, did you check (in your iTunes library) to ensure that the lyrics had actually been saved to the song's file? Not all formats can have lyrics added to the file and this may be the cause of your issue. (Go back in to the Song Info/Lyrics pane for the song to check.)* If this is the cause, do not bother to check any of the following steps. Let us know and we can advise you further
- I'm not aware of any screen on a 6th generation iPod (using iOS 12) that has a specific lyrics icon (let alone one that is ever greyed out). So can you tell us which screen you see this greyed out lyrics icon?
- The signature strip to your post suggests that your iPod is using iOS 12. Can you confirm which version is listed on the iPod as it may make a difference? It will be something like iOS 12.x.x and can be found in Settings/General/About
Assuming that you are using iOS 12.5.5, there are two methods for accessing lyrics:
- on the various Library menu lists (Albums, Artists, Songs etc.)
- on the Now Playing screen
In all cases, the lyrics option is only shown if the song has lyrics embedded in the file.
To see the lyrics for a song on any of the Library menus (each of these menus operates in the same way) tap-and-hold (or long-tap) the song title. On the context menu that appears, you will see:
- the song details (artwork, title, artist and [in grey text] album)
- Delete from Library
- Add to a Playlist...
- Play Next
- Lyrics
- Rate Song...
- Love - - Dislike
- Cancel
The Lyrics option is only shown if the song has lyrics. If there are no lyrics, the Lyrics line is not visible. If Lyrics is shown, tapping on it will display the lyrics that you added (see the caveat above, about the file format)
To see the lyrics on a song that is being played, bring up the full Now Playing screen (tap on the Now Playing ribbon at the bottom of the Music screen). Drag the full Now Playing screen up so that you reveal the additional controls; below the Shuffle and Repeat buttons will be:
- (if there are no lyrics embedded in the song's file) - the Up Next list
- (if the song has lyrics embedded in the song's file) - a line named Lyrics and below that the Up Next list. if the Lyrics option is shown and says:
- Show, tap on Show to display the lyrics
- Hide, tap on Hide to hide the lyrics
Once you select either Show or Hide, it applies to every song on your iPod. You do not need to repeatedly select it.
* Updated by author after initial posting.